Died On This Date (August 7, 1984) Little Esther Phillips / Early R&B Vocalist
themusicsover Esther Phillips
December 23, 1935 – August 7, 1984
Esther Phillips was one of the premier female R&B singers of the 1950s. It was R&B impresario Johnny Otis, who first recognized Phillips’ talent when, at 14, she won a talent show at his night club. Otis produced her earliest recordings and put her in his traveling R&B show under the name of Little Esther. Phillips recorded several hits in the early ’50s, but an addiction to drugs slowed her descent down and eventually sidelined her in 1954. She mounted a comeback once cleaned up in the early ’60s and began releasing hit records again. One recording in particular, a version of the Beatles’ “And I Love Him” prompted the Fab Four to fly her to England to perform. The disco era was kind to Phillips as she was able to adapt her sound to appease a new generation of dancing fans. She had some of her biggest successes during that time. Unfortunately, she could never quite shake her addictions. She died at the age of 48 of liver and kidney failure attributed to many years of alcohol and heroin dependency.
What You Should Own
Otha Young was a guitarist and songwriter who worked with Juice Newton for many years. Over the course of his career, Young wrote such Newton hits as 1981’s “The Sweetest Thing (I’ve Ever Known)” The two began playing together as Dixie Peach, but by the time Newton released her first album on RCA Records in 1975, she was using her own name. As a gifted guitarist, Young played alongside Newton through most of their careers. He can be heard on most of her hit records. Otha Young died as a result of cancer at the age of 66.
Luther Perkins was working as a mechanic in Memphis when, in 1954 his co-worker, Roy Cash, introduced him to his brother, 
Lee Hazlewood was a country singer, songwriter, musician and producer whose work with Nancy Sinatra during the ’60s are essential records of the era. Hazlewood settled in Arizona as a disc jockey after being leaving the military in the early ’50s. He soon partnered with Duane Eddy as a songwriter and producer on such hits as “Peter Gunn.” During the mid ’60s, he began working with Nancy Sinatra, writing and producing “These Boots Are Made For Walking,” and many more. Hazelwood all but retired from music during the ’70s, but his songs lived on having been covered by such unlikely artists as Megadeth, Beck, Nick Cave, Lydia Lunch and the Tubes. He died of renal cancer at the age of 78.